click on header above to get back HOME on this blog and SCROLL DOWN 4 more...................................
MASTHEAD is where i experiment with my fotos - thanx for being tolerant with them........................................
For my videos search youtube for joe windsurfer
and ..YES blog may use cookies and analytics !!

Translator from GOOGLE

Original Windsurf Journal Entries

Moved to Blainville in 1989 – Nico was born in 1988,

Had T-bird. Bought a Cavalier from GM. Had it about 2 years. Then got the Ford Aerostart

This was the van I had when we got the BIC Dufour I think…

Around 1994 or 1995 was when we musta picked up the BIC …

Started with the BIC Dufour Wing all stock equipment– from Gilles and Laura’s neighbour in Laval. The whole family tried it one weekend :-)

No-one knew how to attach the wishbone to the mast :-) and Freddy could not come back HELP :-)

That same weekend I went more than I had ever done and stretched my chest muscles so much that I thought I was having a heart attack!! The nurse at work and my wife laughed at me. But the pain ?? Doctor gave me muscle relaxants ….

Used to keep the board and stuff in Nonni Lena’s basement, but found it was hard to get out of the bay and only I used the board à eventually moved it to Nonni Anita’s basement – where all my old stuff lurked for some time… except for my 2006 AHD and my good sails :-)

A furniture shop owner from Jolliette (yes , a furniture shop owner who sells Mistral windsurf stuff from the basement) hand delivered the rubber joint on a stormy Sunday when it broke – and explained how to properly attach the wishbone to the mast :-) Actually went to see him Saturday, but had his stuff @ home and offered to hand deliver it next day :-)

Somewhere in here (around 1997) bought a full wetsuit outfit and a decent harness … from Bruno @ www.2-rad.com. This was to extend the season. The harness was purchased because Francois (who disappeared and then died around 2008) from EDS kept telling me I must do it with a harness. … It was NOT Bruno from 2-rad @ that time – it was a fellow with very curly hair .. Lisa always remembers this as the time I spent $700. I purchased the wetsuit, boots, gloves, hat, harness and harness lines.

In 2005, Bruce a neighbour in Rosemere had a BIC Samba (170 litres) in his driveway from a previous owner and winter was coming. He gave me the board which came with another mast and a junker sail. It was missing the centerboard – so, bought one from www.auventfou.com. The centreboard was not great, so exchanged it @ Au Vent Fou. This became the board I started to use more because it was floaty and had foot straps (which I had hopes of getting into).

In 2006 I lent Helmut from work the F2 comet/strato 160 litres. He had not done board sailing for about 10 or so years. He had a 6.4 full batten sail and purchased what he needed… He was hooked.

In 2007 Helmut now had a BIC Techno (160 litres) and a Sailworks Retro (7.0 square meters) – with harness and all - and convinced me Pte-Claire and L’Anse a Lorme were the places to go. Now, I was hooked. Helmut gave me his old Gaastra sail 6.4 which is fully battened , but has much duct tape… At the end of the season I purchased an AHD Fast Forward F-Type 160 litres , mast base and extension for my 50th birthday :-) 11OCT2008 $1525. Bought a board bag not long after $150 Extreme Proline 265/80 from AuVentFou.

June 2011

This is the 2nd time in one week that the journal entries screwed up %^&*()_will have to start a new page %^&*()_

Early 2008 I started experimenting with windsurf sails on a snowboard. March 21st which was Easter Sunday, I broke my shoulder with the “race” NP 7.0 sail in 30 to 50 kph winds and had physio until October … Missed about 3 windsurf sessions…and had to replace chinook boom front end from AuVentFou for $28.

On June 6th purchased a 40 cm Select Power fin $203. From AuVentFou

Guy from work tried the BIC Samba and busted the mast base. Tried to fix it, but was tricky and the board was water-logged anyway – junked it …

In the summer I borrowed Helmut’s Sailworks Retro 7.0 and was stoked !! From AuVentFou I purchased a 2006 Maui Sails Pursuit no cambered 8.5 with an Autima 90 % carbon mast and an Extreme Proline 180-240 cm aluminum boom. :-) 03OCT2008 $1125 - also started looking at next sail down à 6.5 retro is supposed to work with a 490 mast !!! Some say go for the 7.0 and others say go for 6.5 with 430 mast. Tough decision – lotsa time :-) Already kinda comitted myself to an older Gaastra 7.0 that fits on a 490. Also retro-fitted the BIC mast base to accept the 8.5 or any other sails that need the pulley system :-) This was winter 2008.

I am starting to have too many files on this windsurf subject …Will try to organize them better

1)put them all in same subfolder

2)use like a master document – this one and put hyperlinks from it

3)keep the hyperlinks @ the bottom of the document for quick retrieval …

bigger task than I thought -- have many , many documents, photos, movies, etc

at least they are all now in the same folder

time to back them all up ???

use masts.doc and the sails*.xls docs a lot

Early April 2009 picked up the year 2000 7.0 Gaastra Flow 3X from JF in Ste-Therese en haut for $80. It has 3 cambers and fits on the 490 mast.

The issue is, it is difficult to keep the cambers on while mounting the sail and you cannot just re-pop the cambers back on. You need to remove the mast and start over again. What seemed to work best for me was, to keep battens tight and move them in ^ shape rather than U shape. I also put the longer cord on the Chinook mast foot, as suggested by JF. Tried the SailKote and JF actually noticed that the mast was “slippery”. Bruno of 2-rad feels SailKote is “a waste of time to save 10 seconds”.

my good stuff in winter storage -- AHD FF 160 and MS Pursuit 8.5

In May 2009 I had to do my first repair on the AHD. Ironically, that weekend went to country with the 8.5 and planed in harness – AMAZING

issues with the wetsuit this year – lotsa repairs ^&*()

People have suggested one keep a windsurf diary

This helps one to improve and not to repeat the same mistakes ...

On Sunday June 24th Ed took pictures of Helmut and I at Morgan beach

I was still using old harness lines from Helmut that are VERY long

I cropped a picture that showed me coming in to shore with Helmut in the background

Sent it to auventfou and asked for comments

Yvan suggested i shorten the lines and rake in the sail

on sunday, father's day i sailed @ the chalet with the shorter harness fully extended

wind was not too strong and did NOT get in footstraps, even if harness was used fully and did plane

original 53 cm fin did not sing since once side of backend was sanded about 2 weeks earlier

purchased a weed fin from auventfou on thursday the 25th of june – about $200

however, cannot get screw in that fin nor in my 40 cm fin anymore

also purchased some rubber shoes - finally

looked at the board after viewing many clips of footstrapping

have decided to try and move the sail back in the track - as close to 3/4 mark as possible

this is about elbow length from the front strap ....

on father's day was using the 8.5 MS Pursuit at the half way mark which is about 135 cm from the back ....

unfortunately the best wind since father's day was that monday and tuesday

pretty dead or bad storm winds since

now need to get screw to work with the two (2) fins, but can sail with the original fin if need be

ie with the 7.0 or the 8.5 - usually use the 40 cm for the 7.0 ....

so far - no wind predicted until next friday - which is OFF for canada day :-)

sailed on Sunday the 28th of June – and tried to get in straps – just was not enuff wind

did place it in mastbase @ ¾ back and seemed to have no impact …

had some wind on Tuesday, but went away after 16h00 – only 2 hours

rains n storms for whole week

Friday off and winds announced for Saturday , butt have to move Niko :-(

equipment @ this time: put this in the my board n sails.xls !!!

AHD FF 160 liter

Select S.Ride 40 cm – “ Controllable and easy to jibe free race fin”

Select 47 cm Anti-Weed

Select SF 53 cm race fin SF = ”super fast”

BIC Dufour Wing is for teaching with 4.3 North Zeta sail and for winds < = 10 knotsneed to redo surface on BIC so that it is non-slipF2 Comet 330 was not used at all this summer – am thinking of trying it in bigger windsAutima 490 / 90% carbon mastXtreme Proline aluminum boom 180-240 cm (Hawaii Proline ??)MS Pursuit 8.5 - goes on 490 mastold Gaastra Flow 3x 7.0 - fits on 490 mastalso have an old Neil Pryde 6.1 and Helmut’s Gaastra 6.4 in case students need bigger saiks

and there is always that older NP Warp 7.0 with 3 cams

the North Sails 4.x for training/teaching – I find it small

Have NOT been updating this file … OCT 2009

Redid the surface of the BIC Dufour with Chinook Re-Dek 8 oz kit {$25 from 2-rad march 12th 2009) – this worked fine

Also put epoxy around the crack of the mast base – Chinook Solarez Epoxy Fiberfill $15 from 2-Rad

Once again – many repairs on wetsuit $%^&*() – believe I purchased another glue bottle for about $15

This summer actually jumped the AHD board @ L’anse à l’Orme – was using the weed fin and the 8.5 Pursuit :-)

In September Martin of l’Assomption convinced me to borrow his 2006 MS-2 11.0 with EPIC 520 cm 100% carbon and Niel Pryde X-6 225-275 cm boom (would accept $700 for the kit). It passed the first test of really light wind on the lake. It passed the 2nd test of medium winds on the Riviere des Milles Iles. However, when it passed the 3rd test of winds in the 10-15 knot range – planed like I never planed before – water was super flat and sail ripped, I broke the bottom panel. The next year ie 2007, that panel was x-ply %^&* Gave Martin $200 as a deposit on the sail – that he can use to fix the sail – whatever the case may be. However, also found a 2008 TR-4 10-oh in Ottawa for $800 with MS boom and Gaastra 75 % mast – will probably go for that !!! also found one in Connecticut , not far from Charlie and he has an MS mast !!

On Friday October 16th went to Vaudreuil – NW wind of around 10 knots. The water was cold and I was still not well. However, my feet were closer to the footstraps than ever !! On Saturday October 17th used the 8.5 Pursuit on the BIC Dufour Wing in the country – was not a lot of wind, but it really was pleasant – tried to put the really long harness lines, but did not get to use them. This year it feels like the season is ending early – cold and no fall winds.

Season actually continued :-)

On Saturday November 7th went to Captn Morgan’sand it was really great. Have started putting the 8.5 at the ¾ mark on the mast track now …

Almost went to the island , but was worried about getting back – just in case – no boats nothing on the water.

AND Went on Friday November 13th ( left work and got my stuff, went on Milles Illes for about two (2) hours, came back home and was having coffee by 15h00 :-)

AND !! Wanted to go Saturday November 21st , but it was Brandie’s pirate party and Niko was late = no time to spare ( but it was a GREAT party )

This beats 2008 when the last W/S day was November 9th !!

On Sunday November 22nd went to St-Sauveur to check out XL dry suit. Well, it was NOT XL, but rather L. Did purchase a large Chinook mast extension for $20. Also saw vintage Porsche 994 which is raced and has apparently about 400 hp !! He also had an A.R.T. 6.0 with mast for $300. Would take high 200’s. This looks like older sail ie no pulley on sail, but in EXCELLENT shape …

Yabadabadooo ( went W/S on Saturday November 28, 2009 for about 1.5to 2 hours on the Milles Isles River. It was about 8 degrees Celcius and winds 20 to 40 kph from the West. Had some difficulty staying away from the bridge. Took off my gloves and tightened the battens – forgot %^&*(

Feel it is MUCH better without the gloves – and still do NOT cover my head !!!! Have been putting the 8.5 @ the ¾ mark on the mast track.

Gloves from http://www.boards.co.uk/articles/index.asp?ID_A=116&article_type=3

“Gloves are generally considered to be more of a hindrance than a help, even for beginners! They might seem an obvious requirement for colder weather, when unprotected hands suffer from wind chill and exposure. However, they make gripping the boom hard and tiring work for the forearm muscles and most windsurfers prefer to go without.”

“I used to suffer from really bad forearm cramps in the winter, epecially if I try to wear gloves and know how frustrating it can be.... The real trick is not to hold onto the boom so tightly but just rest your hands on it and commit to the harness more...”

Felt like my harness lines need to move back. Know I have to move the boom up as well. Used to keep boom very high when not using harness. Now with harness I like boom low , so I can hook in @ any time … Found an article at http://www.peterman.dk/windsurf-trim-maal01gb-2007-08.htm that shows he used harness lines 54 cm back from boom with maui sails 8.5. I am currently at 50. This is exactly what I was anticipating !! ie move harness lines back 4 more cm …will go 2 cm @ a time !! Also, the draft position of the harness line is suggested @ 23.3 %… measured 49 cm and not 50 with a total of 238.5 cm – not 239 cm. This gives 49/238.5*100=20.55 % ( 54/238.5*100=22.64% so, what would give 23.3% ? 55.5cm

55.5/238.5*100=23.27 % which means I need to move the harness lines about 5 to 6 cm back !!!

The same article suggests for the 8.5 the harness s/b about 36 cm from the boom. Once again I have too long lines ( I have them fully extended @ 39 cm. This may not require immediate attention ( will wait until the boom has reached a more “standard”/ideal height !!

This summer the “white house” was purchased and store the F2 comet there for the winter

Thought I went in December2009? When we moved Christian’s bed. Sails froze and had to be brought in, etc It was either the 5th or 6th of December. Jeremy and I picked up furniture from Angie and brought it to the chalet ( NOT the White House) . I tried to windsurf, but sail formed ice. Needed to bring it in the chalet. Luckily no-one was there !! Here I decided it needed to be about 5 degrees Celsius for me to w/s !!! Butt I did go in December !!

Summary of the year: do NOT borrow stuff

like big kits and feel I will be able to use them in winds we have here

am getting closer to footstraps, but waterstart needs MUCH more work

only used the 7.0 about 3 times this year ( need to get used to it cuz it is for bigger winds

this means do NOT invest in Sailworks Retro 7.0, but instead in bigger kit

also need to start saving for new wetsuit L

did some fin analysis and the weed fin is best suited to the 8.5 – that’s why they rock together

looking at hybrid booms and TR-4 10.0 !!

Well, guess what ? After some pressure from Paul in Connecticut and from Lisa, I purchased the TR-4 10.0 from Paul with the MS SRS 100% mast – to be delivered to Charlie and paid for in full upon arrival and quick inspection. This is for the week of 21DEC2009 !! And then to top it off, I am to go to Ottawa today , 22DEC2009, to look @ a used HPL hybrid boom. There is also a used NP X6 hybrid @ the Surf Shop just around the corner from there. Both are called Alex – are they one and the same guy ?? Non. Ironically Lisa received a call from a French Martin who asked I call back {I was driving}. I look on the web and he has the NP X6 boom for sale marked as BOOM!!! I wrote him and said he could sell the whole kit, I was NO longer interested …{since this is an historical file … I missed out on a TR-4 10.0 from Ottawa – Francois Cremer is at Hawaii windsurfing – the kit was the sail, an MS carbon boom !! and a Gaastra 75 % mast – all for $800 – was asking $1000 – missed out on the boom $%^&*( He had a cool blog during his trip

Well, the XP X6 clips were NOT satisfactory.. However, the HPL was GREAT and was purchased for $230. Was hoping to spend around $200, but this boom is in excellent shape !!! See Photos next page. There seem to be two(2) versions 220-281/2.65 kg and 220-305/2.7 kg, 28 mm thickness okay , but 50 cm width ???. This one seems to be the previous…Holes are about 2 cm apart and boom seems to start @ 221 – therfore about 6 holes required for 234 cm boom for the MS Pursuit 8.5 …Will need to be verified with a rigging … Bruce Peterson of Sailworks (obviously) has confirmed that these booms are 100% carbon !!!

The sail , TR-4 10.0 is now to be picked up when we go to the show in Connecticut around March 13th, 2010

Ended up with Paul’s sail and MS mast, but mast has some history – HPL boom had PM and is hot !! This cost me less tahn $1000 and have an MS mast. Check the foto.

Have drawn a chart in XL called My Sail Size vs Wind Speed in kph:

At this time I have the 10.0 -- 20 kph --11 knots --seem to need 12 knots to plane

8.5 -- 35 kph -- 18 knots --good to go after about 15 knots

7.0 -- 45 kph -- 24 knots

6.0 -- 50 kph --31 knots

Was going through all kinds of considerations:
Do I get a Formula board for $640 as well as my AHD FF 160?
Do I sell my AHD and go for an iSonic 133 being sold out of Newmarket for $1000 ?
Do I go for a Formula and iSonic combo ??
Too many questions ….

Need to do the wait n see approach !!!

Plans for 2010:

Try the TR-4 10.0 with the AHD FF 160. PUSH IT !!!
Get in the foot-straps. JUST DO IT !! adjust equipment to make it work
Practice water-starts. TRY TRY TRY
Save $$$ for w/s ( need wetsuit, harness?, think about future boards n sails
2006 HPL advertised on iwindsurf for $400 US and SOLD
AND marked as carbon !!! asking Steven Henderson about carbon content …
Bruce Peterson of Sailworks (obviously) has confirmed that these booms are 100% carbon !!!

This is a foto of a larger 280-310 HPL boom from the iSonic Fellow in Newmarket – marked as 100 % carbon and asking $550 !!

13FEB2010 Saturday -- Last Sunday went to country and paid Cindy for cleaning the chalet a.k.a. the White House. Went snow sledding with my windsurfer from Nonni’s . There was too much ice and learned to navigate between the ice sheets. Did land on my arse and slid for about 10 feet, but better than that : put sail down and squatted when too fast on the ice and slid for over 100 feet !!!

Started conversations with APVM for iDo and Pte-Claire cleanup.

On Tuesday I brought my HPL boom to Bruno for carbon re-inforcement. On Friday Helmut bought a Chinook carbon boom for $450 from auventfou. Yvan is going to Margarita Tuesday.

Today I went on the sod farm fields – north of Terrebonne beside the 125/25. The snow had an icy crust and was very fast. Practiced steering and turning. Still no harness nor helmet. Discussions with Tom from west island and he suggests harness and footstraps, but he broke his mast base (…
Yesterday Georgian Olympian luger died in a trial run $%^&*( He was going 144.3 kph.ICE IS DANGEROUS
Dentist and others have suggested I try the fields in Mirabel near the aeroport…

On Saturday the 20th, went , looked at and purchased 1994 Simmer World Cup Race 6.0 with 3 cams. It is older, but in pretty good shape, better than my other 6.x sails. Want to use this sail to go on ice

On Sunday the 21st used the Simmer WCR 6.0 on the ice @ the chalet – it was great. Could maybe have used a 7.0, but it was much safer this way …

On Saturday the 27th I tried to go on the sod farm with the NP 7.0 3 cam sail. In order to get going , I needed to hook in. The snow was too wet and too deep – I sweated … Only lasted about 30 minutes …
Means I can only out in temperatures close to freezing ….
Also tried to add liquid-like wax to skis, but it did not help.

15MAR2010 – snow is almost ALL gone. Have already undone the mastbase from the windsurf luge. Discovered the nut on the bottom is missing. On weekend picked up the TR-4 10.0 and MS 520 / 100 mast from Paul in CT. Tried the 520 on the Pursuit 8.5. Felt battens were too far from mast – like too much downhaul.
Bruno from 2-rad still has my HPL ( Called Bruno next day – he says boom s/b ready in 2 weeks – he has NOT started yet. Also suggests changing the tendon every year $25 piece!! Nuts are $4 each. Btw wind was 70 mph on LI on the weekend – trees n wires down everywhere!!

17MAR2010 – go to 2-rad to get a nut for my mast base. Bruno tells me that base is a piece of crap. He tries to tighten it and screws break. He says he may be able to make something from parts. I might as well buy a new one ( btw this is St-Patty’s day – one fellow died in the parade over the weekend here in Mtl

Still looking @ data20MAR2010 – On Saturday went with Brandie and purchased a Chinook single bolt tendon mast base for $74 plus tax. Lisa was not too happy and perhaps I should have hidden this purchase after all.

24MAR2010 WED – Jeremy turns 18 and winds are good, but from NW and a bit gusty.

25MAR2010 THUR – work from home ½ day. The spring season started early and I absolutely wanted to go in March on the water !! So, what do I do, I go to Rivière des Milles Isles with the preconceived idea that I am a heavy-weight AND I am strong. Winds are to be from the SW and 30 to 50 kph. Normally this means I will start with a 7.0 square meter sail. But as I said, I am a heavyweight and I am strong – strong like bull {to be said with thick heavy german accent}. So, as I am rigging the 8.5, I am thinkin, “Man, it does seem to be blowing even though there are no whitecaps.” But I am strong like bull. I have to wear gloves cuz the ice left not long ago. This usually means I will force my arms too much, which I do, but I am strong like bull. When I start, I should walk more upwind to stay away from the pilons… I get going with my MS Pursuit 8.5 on my AHD FF 160 and want to plane – of course. This brings me WAY too close to the road bridge pilons. I tack quickly and go back. Hey, this is not so bad so far. Then the gusts start coming…Winds are about 30 kph, and gusts are actually 52 kph… I start to fall in and I still cannot waterstart. That is okay, cuz I am strong like bull. I think you get the picture …Then of course, I fall way too close to pilons with sail on “wrong” side of board ie if I uphaul, I go straight into pilon AND current is pushing me. Okay, I swim under the bridge with the board n sail .. Still strong like bull. Then, even downwind on other side of bridge I still fall in AND now I am tired – just full o bull… So, I swim to the side – towards someone who looks like a homeless fellow. Since I do read Carlos Castenada, I believe this person is not really a person, but a spirit or aborition trying to tell me something – like, get the H outta the water !! And so I do. This means yes, I did windsurf in March 2010. It also means I need to practice setups at home more before going out first time in the new season. I need to rig what the weather says and not what I preminisce. Also, walk more upwind – it will save the swim and not make the session short-lived. Do I regret what I did – not in a million years. I am crazy and this session wiped the idea of work completely outta my head ( As I am writing this, the wind is so strong it makes howling noises that can heard from inside ( 8.5 weather – yeah right…)

btw I did forget to mention, in the sun that day it was about 13 degrees Celcius !!!
The mast base was NOT rigged right and the carbon boom was NOT used

28MAR2010 Sunday – back from LI where we celebrated Grampa Ken’s 80th. I test the setup on the Gaastra 7.0 – in view of what happened on Thursday. And guess what ? The “fake” pulleys are lined up perfectly with the Chinook base AND it rigs up fine first try – ya dummy – I shoulda used this sail on Thursday !!! Also, I called Bruno on Thursday and he had NOT even started on the boom yet $%^&*()_
Wrote to Streamlined saying I already got a Chinook mastbase , but the next one – will be a spare – is a Streamlined !! For the gloves issue the SB forum users suggest NP open palm gloves – where to get em ?

30MAR2010 Tuesday – big winds steady @ 30 with gusts to 55 kph. Bruno almost finished with boom = $80 and Helmut’s sail s/b ready also. Yeah !! This weekend is Easter, but only announcing light winds. I prefer to stay in the local river for now. Ed says he has seen the kiters on the St Lawrence already !!!

31MAR2010 Wednesday – call Bruno – boom is ready (He did a great job and I send a photo to Bruce Peterson).

LOST about a week of entries in this journal – no big deal – no surfin done
11APR2010 Sunday this File is corrupt and I am trying to put it back to something tangible $%^&*() Today winds were about 20 to 45 kph fully westerly. I went out with the Simmer 3 cam 6.0 and the AHD 160 at Captain Morgan’s. The pulleys were just splendid and I wrote to Maui Sails about them. There was NO-ONE on the water @ Pte-Claire nor anywhere! Did manage to plane and had a smile on about 3 times with one of em in danger :-) The sail felt really heavy at times and the battens slackened off ?? Sent Marc Cyr a letter asking him about this. My wetsuit needs repairs on the repairs :-( Wind was good yesterday too, but Brandie had a party- so, Lisa n I found a new path through the marsh.

15APR2010 Thursday -- purchase 2 piece BARE wetsuit from Yvan /yvente for $25 !!!! This guy is crazy and windsurfs all year on Lake Champlain. This year he already sailed 7 times in March ! His biggest sail is a 5.9 and his smallest board is about 75 liters and sinks to the waist !!! People do not seem to like the idea of used wetsuits – they actually say things like “people pee in em” and “would you buy used underwear?”

18APR2010 Sunday -- went to the rivière around 14h00, but again consistency and direction were not ideal. Went to check in Ste-Rose and discovered launch site behind the church which is ideal for NE winds :-) By that time wind was way down :-( excerpt from memo to Pual of CT:
“stood on the shoreline Sunday afternoon on the local river - just wanted to get the TR-4 wet :-) wind was from the wrong direction and the bridge was blocking .walked around a little bit , and coulda gone to other side of bridge - walkin or swimmin :-(
instead decided to find a launch site on the other side of the bridge and the river AND i did :-) good thing i waited - winds dropped ... and YES it looks like Friday - consultant will be gone and i have time in the bank - take the pm off n jump on the water - any size sail will do :-)”

24APR2010 Saturday -- this is a memo I sent to Paul of CT – who sold me my TR-4

Hey:
was supposed 2 go tomorrow, but as u put it, too many family obligations
today was a beautiful 68 degrees with light , but steady westerlies

brought my longboard just in case cuz today was the day one way or another

winds were okay and westerly
downhauled and outhauled TR-4 to specifications and put it on my 160 liter shortboard
{that is - after the cams went on like butter}

as i said - the winds were light and i tried the uphaul, the planing and the schlogging
unfortunately i gave the sail only 8.5 out of ten, but feel these things will fall into place
the cams seemed to have issues rotating - either needs McLube or some adjustment - that was 9/10
also deducted half a point cuz the bottom cam did not not pop off when i let the line out
these are minor details that will place themselves - as we say in french

the positive - no issue uphauling
no issue schlogging and planing potential is easy to feel
due to the larger fin with the larger sail - no issue coming back upwind
ie no need to walk along the shore this time :-)

i have a feeling i am going to love this sail :-)

since i cannot always go when there are big winds - i will now go for TOW
my 8.5 rigs on the longboard - BIC Dufour Wing
so, no excuse to go if there is any wind :-)
i hope to inspire other locals - ie windsurf in any wind
not just like the fellow i wrote about recently - sinkers and small sails only

take care - hope you get out soon
this was my third outing

oh yeah - that $25 wetsuit was used as well - 10 times better then my steamer !!!
think i will go 2 piece from now on !!!!

joe windsurfer
------------------------------------------
In this memo I forgot to mention to Paul that the TR-4 10-oh felt lighter and better balanced than the MS-2 11-oh by far. Even though the TR-4 is heavier than the MS-2 (7.5 kilos vs 6.2 kilos – 1.3 kilos * 2.2 = almost 3 pounds difference).

AND I forgot to mention that I used Helmut’s retro harness lines on the carbon boom. This just does not work. The lines were about the right length, but need to be be put on the harness ie cannot slip it on. Need another set of harness lines – old ones can stay on other boom… Au ventfou has em for less than $30.

AND it was at Captain Morgan’s beach – there were some motorboats and small sailboats about. One elderly fellow asked me if it was worth all the trouble ? I told him – oh yeah – even for half an hour it is worth it cuz I love it and it is exercise. I would stay longer, but my wife is feeling lonely. He says – yeah, they have ways of making us feel guilty….:-)

30APR2010 Friday – took the afternoon OFF. Surprisingly Helmut called in sick, butt was ready to go windsurfing in the afternoon ?? I started with my TR-4 10-oh. Cannot let that double sleeve fill with water. At one point I loosened the outhaul and the wind took off at the same time. WOW. The cams popped then !!! but not otherwise ? The Select 53 race fin actually sang again – thought I had sanded one side ? There was another fellow with an MS-2 8.0 and a Mistral Explosion 131 which were bought from Yvan @ auventfou. He said I was using the Ferrari of sails :-) He suggested I ask Yvan about tuning the TR. When I was tired I took the Pursuit 8.5 and the wind kicked in again. Not only that, butt Helmut and I went out again a 3rd time cuz the wind lifted again !!! This time I leaned like I never have before. Another fellow had a Severne 7.0 and a BIC Core 133. He said he did NOT plane AND last Autumn he busted the nose of his Core. Today he busted his fin. This was MAX. The water was SO low today one had to walk out far before starting – even with the weedfin. I no longer like l’anse à L’orme @ all $%^*() Oh yeah, my quick fix on my harness lines from Helmut actually worked. Wednesday I put plastic from Reno around the rope. René of auventfou says it won’t last – I am sure it will NOT :-) So, you can see , winds were gusty, water was low and Joe had lotsa fun. Helmut said he felt like he was 60 :-) And the fellow with the Mistral Eplosion told me to NEVER buy one !! He said they have NO vent and burst – wow, what happened to Mistral ?

07MAY2010 Friday Yesterday was really crazy. Power failure at work and went home around 11h15. Did some work and thought about w/s ing, butt the wind was all over the place and very gusty. Around 11h00 when we had the power failure, there was a peak around 100 kph @ Dorval Aeroport !! Today the wind was gusty too and was supposed to be from the west. Looked and sounded more like WNW. Went to Helmut’s to load up and winds were west. When we got to Cpt. Morgan’s, winds were definitely NW. Went to l’anse à l’Orme where there were about 4 kiters and 2 windsurfers. It looked good- so, rigged the 8.5. As I said it was gusty and did some planing, butt nothing special. Should have put a smaller fin cuz water was so low and the 10-oh cuz the wind was light. Did have some fun trying to waterstart, but at some point the wind was too light for that – time to go. Left work @ 14h00, on water by 15h30 and home by 19h00. Lisa says it felt really long and gave me a hard time. Women ! Must be the Mother’s Day thing.

10MAY2010 Monday It was a crazy Mother’s Day weekend – cold n windy, but the pros were out on the 4.2 and 4.7’s !!! Today seems to be only day with wind – so, brought my stuff to work. Helmut said it was too cold. Okay, went to AAO myself and I was the only windsurfer with about 10 kiters !! Had fun with them and chatting too !!! Wrote a question on SB forum that summarizes my session quite well:

winds were light - so , i rigged an 8.5 loosely on a 160 liter board {am 100 kilos}

for low water levels put on a select 40 cm slalom {usually used with 7-oh}

this was okay for practicing beach n water starts

THEN the wind picked up -- ok, let's see what this setup can do

managed to plane and even go upwind

where it stalled was with tacking #$%&*

even pushing with front foot and leaning sail forward {dangerously} did NOT always help

used to have similar problems with longboard, but could always put center-board down !!

since it was play day - tried moving mast foot back and all the way forward

is there a trick to using a small fin with a big sail ??

in the end i gave up cuz wind really picked up - put a 47 cm antiweed , tightened the sail and put mastfoot @ 3/4 mark and ripped - no problem tacking - did catapult once $%^*

oh yeah – after the session, when all was packed away, felt strangely peaceful inside :-) Like I am not part of the human race, but I am okay with that – I know, joe’s crazy philosophy thoughts …

15MAY2010 Saturday – Wind of 20 to 40 kph was announced, but only early in the morning and Nonni Anita is in the country – what to do ?? In the end I got the okay to go in the am and country in the pm, butt Brandie had fever and Anita migraine – so, no country in the end #$%&*( maybe kouda stayed out longer

I was on the water @ Captain Morgan’s around 9h30 and the wind was slightly north of west – was supposed to be west and was reported west b4 I got there . At first I thought of the 10-oh, butt there were white-caps further out !! I rigged decent downhaul on the 8.5 , butt loose outhaul. I hit rocks in the middle of the St Lawrence with my weed fin !#$^%*()_ Came in to tighten the outhaul and warn Helmut about wind strength and the rocks – who was there around ten. There were several small sailboats and one windsurfer who came from the other side later.

Then it was time to rip !! Was going so fast, I kept dumping out of my harness lines while planing, but kept planing just the same :-) Can you believe it ? Joe Windsurfer went in and actually raised the boom on the mast to try and avoid these unwanted get outta the harness scenes. Also adjusted harness lines on one side to be much closer… Then it was time to rip and rip some more :-) When I left the water around 11h45 wind had dropped and was definitely NW. Helmut was off to AAO/l’Anse à l’Orme.

My harness is missing a clip and I loosened the carbon boom head – seems tight since Bruno did the retro-fix ie not spinning on the boom – just lopsided leans.

Did some of my fastest and longest planing runs ever today. Was actually pushing to do do chop hops. Was right beside straps, butt made no attempt to get in – was HAVING WAY TOO MUCH FUN… Oh yeah – Helmut has been checking out the “park” at the bottom of Ste-Charles

16MAY2010 Sunday – Went to the country ie Lac Long to see Nonni and she announced there was wind. Brought the AHD 160 and both the 8.5 and 10-oh. Rigged the 10 cuz it looked light, butt gusts were BAD. Had issues with controlling direction from the get go. Fell in a few times. No issue uphauling, which is good AND also did about 45 minutes without the harness, which means the sail can be man handled – do I really need an EZ uphaul ? Winds were gusty, off-shore from Nonni’s and changing direction ie NOT a great w/s time. Also had trouble going through the tack – similar to 8,5 with 40 cm fin. Did NOT put sail as far forward as I might want to …

1) cams don't rotate fully unless strong wind on other side ie towards zippers
2) bottom cam does not "pop" off when downhaul is released quickly can i release that one manually first ?

am handy , but uncomfortable taking apart race sails and sanding down cams - as i have read
local MS rep has no TR experience

thx for your understanding – joe windsurfer----------------------------------------------------------20MAY2010 – Thursday – I am on call. So, I double baggy the pager and put it under my farmer johns – too hot for jacket :-) However, this was NOT a good day – it was a jinx and reminder day !! Helmut went to get an uphaul line from Bruno @ 2-rad at lunch and we saw the busted boards from AAO. They all busted Saturday. One almost broke in half !!

Wind seemed to be west @ first, but defintely NW later. Left work at about 15h15, but when we got to AAO, wind was dropping :-( Kites stayed out and we were there. So … I rigged my 10-oh with the weed fin and Helmut his 8.5 loosely.

Board felt good and went upwind well. As usual the wind picked up a little and I had the boom too high. Since the water is so low and I was out deeper – did not wanna go back in to adjust boom. Did it on the water and was so proud of myself – doh. Took off and jumped in the harness. Started taking off in speed and suddenly I was down. What happened ? The boom was off the mast $%^*( Thought I broke something.

So, set it all up to be able to swim in and did. Now the water felt deep – we are never satisfied ? Once I could stand – I checked the pager – okay. Check the boom – okay. The boom head rope simply unknotted %^&*( Okay, knotted it up quickly and simple setup @ the clew. Get ready to see if I can go and CRAP there is a dent in the top through the cover material $%^*() Time to get off FAST. Took everything apart without even saying bye to Helmut – left him a voice mail later.

Brought the board straight to Bruno. He said he could fix it quickly and if there had been no water, I coulda left with it !!! Total cost = $40. Told Bruno that made me so happy, I could kiss him :-) Bruno said “hole” was caused by the harness hook :-( Discussed BIC, AHD and other boards. These are NOT Bruno’s preferred boards and he sees many as a repairman.

We had plenty of interesting discussions with Bruno at lunch when Helmut got his uphaul. Bruno has a buddy who is 260 pounds and uses 135 and 105 boards !! I am starting to wonder… Once comfortable with 160, go to a racier 130 ? Maybe even an iSonic ?? Based on what I saw and we discussed -–no more AHD for me :-( Other option – keep the 160 as lite wind and go to about 120 liters… Am really curious what boards Bruno recommends for my sail quiver. Do I stick with MS or go to SW Retros ?? They are $$$… Oh yeah … something happened to my left leg too – musta landed on the board with my left shin somehow. Started limping already. Hope I can make it outta bed tomorra …Foot was okay in the end.

22MAY2010 – Saturday – Tried to call Bruno about board status yesterday, but he was in the workshop and not available. Went by the shop this morning and he says it is still wet :-( Should not be too long – just a coupla days – should be dry by tomorra, etc, etc. As I explained to Lisa – it always takes longer than Bruno predicts. The boom took weeks longer … No wind and on-call anyway …

24MAY2010 – Monday – Victoria Day – No More Pager - Went to country with the BIC Dufour. Helmut went to Captain Morgan’s. Took the NP cammed 7.0 and had fun. It was gusty and up n down. One time I was standing there with NO wind… Have enough stuff in the country to at least go whenever I want. Suggest bringing the MS Pursuit 8.5 :-) Did I ever try the Gaastra Flow 3X on the Dufour ??

25MAY2010 – Tuesday – Helmut took day off and went to Parc @ St-Charles. Too much wind shadow and water is filthy :-( My board is still not ready and now Bruno talks about it costing $70 to $80. Went to Cpt Morgan’s to see wind and it sucked. Did not come up until later … Now I have NO board and winter tires. Not a good idea to do all kinds of driving around in the heat. Otherwise I would rent one from APVM…Tried that via e-mail to PREZ and got NO answer.

29MAY2010 – Saturday – Picked the board up @ 2-rad. Repair was $60 and had no touch-up. Bruno says my board is delaminated and finished. This discouraged me, butt I went to Cpt Morgan’s just the same. Winds are about 9 knots and westerly. Helmut showed up with his wife on bikes – visiting his folks. Helmut felt the TR-4 10-oh sail and was surprised at how light it felt. Changed fin from weed to long race fin as first thought and also suggested by Helmut. Helmut cannot believe how low I keep the boom :-) Hard time getting out, but once past wind shadow , took off. Went across the channel and checked some mansions. The issue is the speed boats do NOT give right of way. Also, the sailboats go under sail and motor and often cannot see you cuz they are behind the sails :-( Did about 2 hours and chatted with a fellow originally from Belgium who says he did water starts back in in the 80’s in France. Told him boards are easier now and he would be water starting in no time, but not on a day like today. Due to repair, I now take the vent bolt out when not sailing – better not lose it !!! Checked it for water on Sunday and there is none. No need to take bolt out then – just loosen it …

30MAY2010 – Sunday - Helmut and I talked of going out Monday and/or Tuesday. My luck , Brandie is sick and Sunday was a zinger !! Looks like Wednesday might be good too. Hope my tires are on by then !!

02JUNE2010 – Wednesday - Went to Captain Morgan’s after leaving work early – around 14h15 :-) Unfortunately winds were NOT what was promised. They spoke of 20 to 40 kph, but it hovered around 10 knots. Shoulda brought my 10-oh !! Planed a fair bit, but Helmut says he did NOT !! The 8.5 goes well. Showed Helmut how to thread the mast base – he was crossing wires and twisting the pulley on the sail. I enjoyed myself, but did still graze on some rocks. Still open the vent on the board and it hisses. Yvan of Auventfou says the soft board is due to “normal usage” ?? Paul writes about busting his F2 nose and a Fanatic Ray 140 that may be available.

07JUNE2010 – Monday – left work @ about 14h30 :-)
wind was NW - so, AAO/ l'Anse à l'Orme
saw people jumping with windsurfers
wind felt strong
wished I had brought the 6.0 @ one point !!!
put the Gaastra Flow 3X 7.0 on the 490 mast
was planing, chop hopping AND the Select 40 cm Slalom fin was whistling !!
got some sloppy beach starts in - the last one marked up the nose :-(
will do this repair myself

the vent plug hisses every time i open it and there seem to be cracks around the top now
two (2) seasons and feels like the board may be in trouble - was Bruno right ?
Yvan does NOT write to me any more
do I follow up with him and perhaps even AHD ??

Helmut showed up later - he had doctor's appointment
based on 12-19 knot winds, he rigged his SW 8.5
he said it was good for the most part, but did get overwhelmed in the gusts near the end
Helmut goes in his straps as soon as possible - after watching Guy Cribb video
I want to keep board level and hesitate to jump in straps too quickly
but have to make the move this year !!!

saw four(4) chaps trying to get a mast apart while on phone with Lisa
told her I had to get off the phone to help get this mast apart
by the time I got there only the mast owner was there
asked him if it could be twisted - says it would not budge
i said let me have a try and he suggested some water for grip
we got it off with two(2) rotations
called me "man with hands of steel" :-)
replied that comes from trying to windsurf without harness too much :-)

fellow hit THE rock with his 20 cm fin - freestyler with a 98 liter board and 5.6 sail !!

12JUNE2010 – Saturday – Lisa was painting entrance in country.
no winds taday and the 6 yr old Brandie wanted to go on the water
he needs to learn to swim b4 i take him on the w/s board
so, put him laying down on the BIC Dufour Wing and I stood up with the canoe paddle
yup = SUP
went around the bay, visited the raft near the other chalet and came back
no boats on the lake - so, it was excellent and bonding time too :-)

13JUNE2010 – Sunday – little more wind and visit country again. Took the BIC and the NP 7.0 cammed sail. It was fun, butt not much wind :-)

15JUNE2010 – Tuesday – A little wind and went to the River. Wind was okay , but water is so low that there is too much sludge at starter beach and canoer hit rocks in the middle. Forget about the river for this year.

17JUNE2010- Thursday – Discussions this week with a fellow who also goes to DI and w/s. Looked like I mighta borrowed his harness %^&*( Sent him fotos and it was NOT. Phew, what a relief. Good thing , or else the wife wouda bin right – AGAIN !!

18JUNE2010 – Friday – took the day off. Wind was SW and slated to go to 13 knots around 14h00. Went to Cpt. Morgan’s and rigged the MS Pursuit 8.5 fairly loosely. Went in and out and came back to adjust boom height up and harness lines back. When I left and tried to plane, something felt strange. It was flapping in the back – like there was a flat tire or something. Definitely something around the fin – was it so banged up, I could feel the difference ? Non, I had left the fin protector on !!! Stuffed it in my pants and took off – much better. Was so close to foot-straps , it was ridiculous. What is stopping me ? Just when I felt I was burnt enough – no hair and no sun-screen in bright sun on the water for about 2.5 hours, Helmut showed up. Luckliy he had some sunscreen and I had some gloves. Did not get off the water until 17h30 !!!
I did at least 5 hours of surfing and some of it at great speeds. No close calls, no rocks and no damage. Just burnt and sore hands. Helmut says his harness lines are at over 70 cm back. He is using Guy Cribb’s suggestion of 1/3 back. With my 234 cm for the 8.5 , I s/b @ 78 cm !!! I am at about 54 for front strap. So, marked the boom. Need to move harness lines back AND get in straps. Asked Paul in CT about using just back strap in varying conditions. He said NO – front strap first – harness or not , is another question – his buddy can go without harness and has monster forearms:-)

20JUNE2010 – Sunday – in the country. Put the 10-oh on the AHD to see cam rotation. Wind was NOT great. Starting to think that the lake is ok for Dufour , butt not for AHD L Was also NOT happy with cam rotation :-( Was pushing it through – to see if it needed to be “broken in”. Oh yeah – it was GREAT wind in MTL %^&*

24JUNE2010– Thursday – St-Jean Baptiste Day. Was supposed to be extreme, butt died around 7h00 #$%^ Took my stuff to Captain Morgan’s just the same. Helmut was on-call and does not like anything under 15 knots. It was closer to 11 knots. Loosened the two (2) battens with cams near the boom for cam rotation – had read something about this on the forum. First test run found – forgot to pop one cam, boom too high and sail too loose #$%^&*() Fixed these items and went back out. There seemed to be a sail race and they seemed to be going okay. What was the issue with my setup ? Was not planing and the cams still needed to be “pushed”/encouraged. I push the cam just under the boom and the others follow. It is better than before !! Then the wind kicked in and I planed like I never planed before. This may not be in speed, but it felt really different, Even when it gusted , it was okay !! Got so into it, I traversed the “lake”/St-Lawrence. On the way back it poured so hard, I could hardly see and I did NOT know where the sailboats were #$%^ Made it across, but now was even further downwind. I walked it $%^&*( A fellow offered me to leave the stuff @ his place, butt I was already close to the “park”. Oh yeah – went it picked up, the cams did pop !!! Will loosen it just a little more… Dolores n Guy from work are supposed to come to the country on Saturday, butt they are already announcing colder temps and rain %^& Also, Guy n Alexa are supposed to arrive on that day :-) Started looking at Fanatics around 130 liters – way too $$$

weekend of St-Jean Baptiste

Thursday I think I went to Cpt Morgan's.

Friday and Saturday was using the 10-oh in the country. Not having a great time, butt managed to loosen battens such that the cams rotated a little easier. Especially the one under the boom. Dolores was supposed to come, butt cold - so, Guy, Helmut and her all cancelled. Sunday morning I thought of calling her, butt there was cloud activity. Was on the Dufour with the 8.5 in the morning and wind got good. In the pm put the 8.5 on the AHD and was surprised that I could NOT get it planing. !@#$%^&*()

29JUNE2010 Tuesday - Helmut seems to have parted for Barbados. Went to Cpt. Morgan's and wind looked really strong. Rigged the 8.5 and went out. Wind dropped and had a couple of good planers...

Lesson: wait b4 rigging. In other words, I wooda rigged the 10-oh.

30JUNE2010 Wednesday - Strong wind warning in effect and did NOT bring the 6.0. Checked Pte-Claire and there were lotsa windsurfers. Kiters ? White caps and they were jumping !! I went to Cpt. Morgans's where the wind shadow is a little larger than @ Pte-Claire ...Rigged the 7.0 and was overpowered...Lesson: bring all.

Should have downhauled even more and outhauled even more. Sail practically
ripped out of my hands. Once was going so fast, the small Select fin was screaming and I had to abort the mission !! Just too fast for me.

02JULY2010 Friday. There are some winds from the west, butt only brought the 8.5 here. Only used the Dufour and had issues with the rigging - less on the downhaul and outhaul ?

Set the F2 comet up for testing - butt not tried yet ...

03JULY2010 Saturday. We are still in country - Charlie, Gary, n kids r here. Figures i did not bring my board @#$%^&*
Supposed to be a warm n windy day. I went out in the morning with the 8.5 with the extension @ about 22 cm and the boom @ about 50 cm. Both of these are less than suggested !!
In the morning I had some great sessions on the Dufour and in the pm tried the F2 comet which is 320 cm - not 330 as I thought !! Just as i was asking myself how this board could get Helmut back into w/s ing , the wind kicked in and I FLEW. Felt like it was my fastest sessions on lake yet. I had to keep feet behind mast or nose sinks and the mast track is all the way at the back for balance. I removed front footstraps to have some room on the deck. I tried again later after putting another piece of ken's dock in, butt winds were gusty and only in one channel of air - out of Brandie bay. Put the stuff away - my watch band stinks ^&*()_ ie smells. I am starting to worry about the condition of the 8.5 sail - well used R^&*()

Winds were 10 to 12 knots with one spike @ 15 knots. Moved back harness lines way back and front part too. Did some planing and sail felt VERY controllable. Rigging, cam popping and de-rigging ALL great
put a message on the MS forum to say so !!!

09JUL2010 Friday – had the day off and both Jeremy and Kayla tried to w/s with the Dufour and North Zeta 4.2. Both did VERY well, butt winds were very lite. Rained during the session and the baby ducks followed us in the paddle boat.

10JUL2010 Saturday – actually got to out with the 8.5 a couple of times today. Not much wind was announced, but was almost decent in the pm. Butt wind did die suddenly :-(

11JUL2010 Sunday – bro-in-law Guy asks why I use the Dufour :-) Had some good runs with the MS Pursuit 8.5 in the pm. Not really a windy day though. Good to leave sail rigged n in the shade.

12JUL2010 Monday started chatting w/ a fellow in Kingston. He is selling a SB Carve 121 for $300. Never came through – did NOT do a follow-up …

14JUL2010 Wednesday went n bought a quiver bag to be able to put almost all on the roof. Fits 3 masts up to 490 and 6 sails up to 8.5

16JUL2010 Friday -- was waiting 4 niko and some IKEA bookshelf to arrive. Lisa n Brandie were already in the country. Brought Marita 2 the metro and went 2 captain morgans. There was no-one on the water !! Put too big a rig with the 8.5 and practically flew. Could not stay long cuz the wind just kept getting stronger. Shoulda known, there were occasional whitecaps when i started and lots when i left.

17JUL2010 Saturday -- up in the country. Did a trial run with the 8.5 and the Dufour and winds were stable and consistent. Took the 10-oh out on the AHD. It was rippin @ times and the neighbour was out on their square motor board exclaimed “vous êtes fort !” The problem with this setup on the lake is, there are too many wind shadows and occasional drops in wind. It makes it difficult to handle such a large sail. In the afternoon enjoyed a round with the 8.5 and the Dufour. Jeremy went out n did a good round too, but people were freakin out w/ thunder in the distance. The big winds knocked some branches down and bent back a piece on the F2 comet. Luckily the AHD and the Dufour were okay!! Put the AHD on the roof of the van – cannot afford any damage to that baby.

18JUL2010 Sunday – Stuck with the 8.5 on the Dufour. Loosened the bottom batten to make it flip better and adjusted the clew to 47.5. It actually seems to make a difference when the outhaul string is closer to the clew. Went to the end of the lake @ the Auberge n back in the morning. Winds were from the west here and from the north and strong there. Uncle Freddy says winds are often stronger there. Will hafta check that out ...

19JUL2010 Monday – putzed around on the lake and tried to see if winds were better in the “funnel”, butt they were not :-( Not supposed to have good winds until Thursday.

Nothing written for Tuesday and Wednesday ? Wednesday really was NOT much wind and Tuesday was only a LITTLE bit better !!

22JUL2010 Thursday - I was unsure of winds AND i was to watch Brandie in the pm and that was when winds were supposed to be @ their best. So, i took the opportunity and went to lac Muskinongé in the am – Martin Bertrand gave me a connection of Pierre @ Courant Marin of St-Gabriel – using code name Bert. I would guess it is the largest inland lake of the province !! It is about 40 minutes from here - so, far from Montreal and Rosemere. The winds were not great, but i tried the 8.5 rather than the 10-oh cuz i do not know the lake. I am glad i did cuz there were MANY more "waves"/chop than we are used to - more than AAO on a heavy day. And cuz the lake is large, these waves push you along like you are surfing. So, it was an okay morning, but i am not ready to put the 10-oh out there. It was also difficult to bring the sail up the stairs with the wind from the back – just like Vaudreuils $%^*( Luckily a kind woman helped me. I have been informed this lake is REALLY polluted – NO more fish ^&*(

It would be a GREAT lake with just a little more wind. Too windy and it would be handful also !! So, Sunday is either lac muskinongé or MTL :-)

so far, it is 15 to 20 knots W to NW all day !!!
oooooh baby
MTL might be better for that cuz the location i launched today was on the west side of the lake
i am not ready to do offshore on that lake !!!! {wrote the last paragraph B4 I heard it was polluted $%^&*(}

Either Friday or Saturday Jeremy went out and had a great session with the 4.2 trainer on the BIC. He can almost go out on his own. Keeps asking to try the 8.5 and the new board, butt he is NOT ready.

25JUL2010 Sunday - last day of vacation. Back from Rosemere {had to get Lisa’s purse} and tested the quiver bag - not too bad. I did not bring the AHD and only 8.5 and 7.0. Winds were gusty from the NW and I flew. Charlie said it sounded like a car speeding in from the lake :-) Harnessed it and free-ride ie no harness - with the gusty winds - BIC was probably still the best choice. Actually wrote in SB and windsurfmag forums to questions about boards in lakes – my suggestion is longboard with a big sail – up to 8.5 for me.

26JUL2010 Monday – good winds, butt I gotta move Niko’s bookshelf from IKEA. Helmut went out with his SW Retro 7-oh rigged tight. He felt that he did not have a good session. Too gusty ie varied windspeeds. He went to lac Champlain on Sunday and loved it with the 7-oh. Oh yeah – saw some guy bust his kite @ AAO too %^&*( Also, there were way too many people – about 20 + and about half were kites.

27JUL2010 Tuesday – lighter winds and hotter – 30 degrees C. So, took out the 10-oh. It was marvelous and had to relearn how to tack with the shortboard. Did some planing and practiced adjusting the speed with the big sail – no issue @ all. Seem to use my front foot for steering and as such, it was far from the strap. The sail rigged well, behaved well and de-rigged well. GREAT sail for 10 to 15 knots. Helmut is already calling his 8.5 a barn-door. Oh oh, wind snob in the making :-) For me , it is all about TOW = time on the water. My stuff allows me to go from 10 knots up to about 30 knots – after that it is just too much for me and the board :-) Showed Helmut the quiver bag – he likes it and may buy one. Also chatted about a phone water bag – to have on-call on the water.

29JUL2010 Thursday – went to AAO with Helmut. In the morning only packed my stuff cuz I heard the winds. All sounded like 20 to 40 kph winds from the NW #$%^&*() Up and down and we gave up.Met a 220 lb fellow with a SB Free Formula and a SW 9.0. Even he seemed to have issues planing. That board did NOT look like it planed any sooner than mine !!! It is NOT a formula board, but inbetween and is compared to AHD F boards !!

31JUL2010 – SAT – had some good blasts on the BIC J I leave it rigged and go when it blows.

01AUG2010 – SUN - Angela n Danny's family were there cuz they rented the cottage. AXCI's came up from Mrs. Auga. I had set up the North Zeta which may be a 3.7 ?? So, set up the 8.5 for the Comet. Axel says it was not windy enough. That’s not bad for a fellow who has been out once. I would like to know what is ideal for him though :-) In any case - the F2 comet with the 8.5 really needs intermediate skills and some winds. It was with no winds or gusty winds = PITA $%^*() AND no winds announced until WED.

04AUG2010 – WED – brought my stuff and people seemed nervous when I was about to go. Helmut checked w/ his wife and there were squall warnings ^&*(. There was thunder like fire crackers when I got home and within one hour the sun was shining ^&*() Brought my shit for nothing %^&*( Have a plastic for phone/pager protection now :-) backed up my files to external USB disk cuz PC is having bootup issues ^&*()_

05AUG2010 – THURS – SW 250 and about 16 knots as per Dorval. Later Dorval reported less wind, butt it was still great @ Cpt Morgan’s. I forgot my life jacket in the country and my harness in Rosemere %^&*( Good thing Helmut was still home and he has a spare older Gaastra harness !! I actually love that harness and flew today. Was so fast thought my hat would blow off :-) Wind changed direction to NW and then died. We had to swim in due to lack of wind and large wind shadow on-shore. Believe it was Roland Halas and Frances Kilburn who stopped to ask about windsurfing from Cpt. Morgan’s, butt I did not recognize them %^&*( These are two(2) famous Formula riders. We do NOT have many formula riders in MTL.

06AUG2010 – FRI – Helmut went to AAO and got skunked. I had suggested 7-oh and he tried the 8.5. Some people were out on 5.x !! I could NOT go – had to go to Niko’s.

07AUG2010 - SAT – Picked up Marek and Silwia from Montmorecy. I was already in the country - Was @ Niko’s Friday evening to try and install his screen on the wall. Tried the 6.0, but she had difficulties pulling it out of the water. Changed down to the training sail and she did much better. She said that she had not windsurfed for about 10 years… She had issues going upwind and turning. Surprisingly they did not want to stay the day and I drove them back around 14h00.

08AUG2010 SUN – Wind was strong. Good thing Silwia came up on Saturday. I was out on the Dufour with the 8.5 AND the harness. When not in the harness, my ass was dragging on the water – wind was that strong. Tried Helmut’s old harness, but was hard to unhook from my home-made harness lines – went back to my old harness …

09AUG2010 – MON – when I left in the morning they spoke about 10 knot winds. Was fed up and got my stuff @ lunch – Jeremy was still sleeping and did NOT even hear me. Went to Cpt Morgan with the 10-oh and weed-fin. Weeds are terrible. Winds never went over 10 knots enough. Need winds of 13 knots + to get planing with the 10-oh. Again winds changed to NW and dropped. This time I sailed in and walked rather than swimming !!! Also, the WaterPak was a success – both pager and phone in the PAK. This whole week looks like a bust for w/s ing %^&*()

13AUG2010 – FRI – packed my stuff for a trip to Maine – DI. Going with just Lisa and Brandie. Checked on iwindsurf and it looked like the winds required the 10-oh. Since my new sail bag only goes up to 8.5 and I was uncomfortable using the 10-oh on the ocean for my first attempt, I brought the 8.5, 7-oh and 6-oh. The 6-oh was not anticipated to be used:-(

15AUG2010 – SUN – went out on the ocean for a test run in the morning and then 2 more attempts later on. Almost planed in the afternoon, butt a 10-oh was definitely the order for the day {and that sail was back in the garage @ home} . OR a longboard and do more exploring than windsurfing – that’s a judgment call !!

16AUG2010 – MON – also went out a coupla times, butt never got rippin’ {Logan Airport showed 12 to 14 knots with occasional gust just over 16 knots} and the next day was a lost cause. The issue was that the wind was BEST in the pm (Logan Airport showed winds from 15 to 20 knots !!), butt they were all wine-tasting. I could not take such risks as having no-one watch me and secondly , having silly people try n help me :-( SO, either bring the big guns too – or bring the longboard next time. Ideally bring all the sails and the boards. Note: it costs $120 U.S. to bring a kayak across – good thing kayaks and w/s stuff was brought across by the Isabella II.

19AUG2010 – THURS – back home and not much wind announced. They talk about 20 kph winds in the pm with bigger winds before the storm. So, went to Capt. Morgan’s with the 10-oh. Was a beautiful day with many sailboats out. Wind was not great and did not pick up much. Almost planed a couple of times, butt … Got off the water just before the rain and so called “storm”. It did rain, butt no storm AND no great winds either. Good workout, butt making me wonder whether I should be sailing and not wind-surfing !! BTW the cams do NOT pop in the lighter winds – time for more McLube ??

26AUG2010 – THURS – feels like forever since I/we went windsurfing and planed … Was taking a problem solving course at the CA – so, e-mailed my w/s buddy @ work, Helmut , and we were set to go … He just recently broke another batten on his SW Retro 7-oh #$%^&*( Also told me today that the material is starting to wear out around the battens $%^&*( For such an expensive sail , I am NOT impressed ^&*()_ Winds were about 13 to 18 knots as per Dorval Airport, but it felt like a little more than that @ AAO. Helmut rigged his 8.5 medium and I rigged mine tight. We met the fellow from BA again and he was using his 7.5… He showed me how to water-start, then Helmut gave me his version and finally Evan gave me his :-) In the end after about 30 tries, three were acceptable. The tricks were practice using the dragging method, keep arms straight, aim downwind and MFP/mast-foot pressure. Helmut tried Evan’s 135 liter board with his SW Retro 8.5. He said he was able to uphaul it with difficulty. It felt smoother in the chop, butt the bad news is: the nose was bashed %^&*( Helmut keeps his boom VERY high – so, I have NO idea how he bashed and upon looking @ the damage, it looks like the nose may have been broken B4!! For me, besides practicing waterstarts, I moved the boom a little higher, but had difficulties getting in the harness since I was using the “home-made” lines on the smaller boom $%^& Once hooked in, I got some really decent speed and the waves were one to two feet. When going against the waves, I jumped a couple and with such a large board, it felt like it was slapping the water. SO, yes, a smaller board should feel better. Also, when going with the waves, more than once I caught the wind and the waves :-) I was laughing so hard twice, a kite surfer turned and looked at me as I jumped off with a giant grin ear to ear :-) Too bad for the nose accident cux otherwise it was a fun afternoon – and that was a work day !! Oh yeah – shoulda put the farmer john wetsuit pants cuz I was shivering after. Also, cut my feet on a few spots – cannot go without booties @ AAO :-( nor Cpt. Morgan’s $%^&*( Also, at extremely high speeds, my feet are leaning out over the side of the board and RIGHT beside the footstraps. My feet were lower than the straps – so, I wonder if I should move em b4 I even try ??

28AUG2010 – SAT– I was fortunate enough to have a beautiful day and the okay from my lovely wife :-) Was on the way to Cpt. Morgan’s when Helmut called on the cell. I was purchasing a banana and fruits. Our buddy Scottie passed away 2 nights ago and the lesson to me is: WATCH WHAT YOU EAT!! When I got to Lac St-Louis I was lucky the wind was light cuz I had plenty of time to adjust the harness lines. Believe the back line ended at about 70 cm. Then there started to be puffs. Where was Helmut ? Thought I saw him setting up, non ? The puffs were now full blown and I was flying !! Where was Helmut?? Went in to shore and he explained that he was waiting since his biggest sail is the SW Retro 8.5. He also said he was not sure about 8.5 or 7-oh. I exclaimed I am on 10-oh, put the 8.5 !! Then I went out and now I call the sail my 10-OH or 10-oooooh. Before the puffs the cams were not popping. When they started to pop, I knew fun was to be had.. I had just read some articles on speed sailing from Matt Pritchard and in the Windsurf Mags. I was going square to the board, full downwind, gap closed, feet at the straps, but further out. It was amazing until the wind got stronger and when the sail dropped in the middle of the river, it was full of water $%^&* That was hard on my hands and my back !! Time to get the special uphaul ?? Okay, went back to shore and rigged the 8.5. Man was that fun ripping across the St Lawrence River !!! Helmut’s parents were there too. So, do I remove a strap on one side to see how far back I go ? Helmut suggests removing the back one ….

31AUG2010 TUE - Left work early. It was to be an ode to my buddy Scottie from work who died last Thursday. Helmut left early too. I got there first and went out with the 10-oh. Helmut went to AAO first and then Cpt. Morgan’s. I planed somewhat around 15h30 and Helmut did not go out at all !!! He also went the next day and said he only planed on about 3 tacks … I enjoyed myself and tried to think about Scottie the entire time !!

04SEPT2010 SAT – in the country. Took a morning stroll on the BIC Dufour with the MS Pursuit 8.5. Wind started to pick up !!! Put the AHD FF 160 with the Pursuit, but rigged a little tighter. Are these winds due somehow to Hurricane Earl, which is around Maine and the Maritimes @ this time ?? Did some planing and had fun. Wind was getting stronger and gustier, so, I tightened the sail even more. In the afternoon went again and had some difficulties. Wind was extremely gusty , changing directions and seemed strongest near the shore. In shorts in the morning, butt wetsuit farmer john pants in the pm.

05SEPT2010 SUN – in the country. Still having some good winds and decided to do some major experimenting:

1) changed the fin from the weed to the 53 cm race type fin
2) put max downhaul with the base @ 27.5 rather than 25
3) moved back harness line back further
4) moved mast base back further than usual – around the middle of the track

The issue here is that too many changes were performed at once.
I am trying to short board on the lake, which is already a new phenomenon…

Winds were quite strong and gusty. The good news is that I did not fall in and the bad news is – was not really planing. Moved the mast base up forward slightly, left harness lines and dropped downhaul slightly – put it back to 25 cm. Later let some outhaul off as well. None of this seemed to help the planing, but was still able to stay on the board. Fell on one occasion and actually bumped my head :-( Time to start wearing a helmet %^&*( Was also reading some entries from last year about harness line position and trying to get around 55 cm. Right now the harness lines are about 55 to 60 cm on the smaller boom and around 75 cm on the bigger boom. So, which one works best for the 8.5 ?? Need to bring both booms one day and try em out one by one … Also did some kinda beach starts this weekend. Feels like the skills are moving forward, butt as usual it always feels too slow :-) Left my w/s glasses in the country :-(

08SEPT2010 WED – brought the stuff 10.0 and 8.5 since they were announcing 20 to 40 kph SW. Winds were going 20 to 25 knots around 11h00 and making me nervous – no 7.0. Helmut left early and spoke with Evan, who said that even at 240 degrees , AAO was good. Wunderground still showed SW and Helmut decided to check Captain Morgan and get back to me. Too big a wind shadow @ Morgan’s. We will meet @ AAO. AAO looked good with whitecaps. Helmut was going 7-oh and I was going 8.5 tight, but NOT all the way. By the time we got out the wind dropped slightly and the 8.5 was perfect. Then gusts hit and I was slightly overwhelmed. Fell in a coupla times. Am still uphauling and feel the weekend experiments on the lake really helped me !!! Was using my good glasses with new ropes and fishing bopper. The line came off twice, but I was not nervous. Tightened the 8.5 outhaul fully and let her rip. Screamed across the bay. For the first time was feeling like those clips I see on youtube where the guys just keep on planing. That’s what I was doing :-) The back harness lines were at about 70 cm. The mast base was at about ¾. I still keep the boom low. The mast base was at 25 cm and not 27.5. Feel that 27.5 is bit too floppy. Feet were close to foot straps. Helmut said he only got in the straps twice. His waterstarts are working, and jibes are not. Maybe tired ?? He also had the 7.0 at mid setting. I would have suggested a slightly looser outhaul on the 7-oh for today … There was an “older”, smaller fellow who was using a 93 liter board and a 5.8 sail !!! He complained about the gusts …

12SEPT2010 SUN – waterstart session @ Philipsburg Campground given by Bruno Courtemanche of the APVM/Association de Planche à Voile Montréal. Cost was $5 parking and $15 for the course. It is just before the U.S. border on the Vermont route to Charlie in Connecticut. The windsurfing is at the end of the campground and is not good for rigging nor parking. The water is shallow, clay and weedy. They tell me Swanton just 20 minutes south in the USA is MUCH better. The winds were great in the morning for waterstarts and I was on my 6-oh. Helmut was on his 7-oh and was overpowered. The first session was not needed by Helmut. In the afternoon the winds were less and the waves were higher. Poor Helmut was now on his 5-oh, but poorly rigged :-( We should have been on 7-ohs and on smaller boards due to waves.

13SEPT2010 MON – last dragonboat practice. Man was I burnt before and after !!

14SEPT2010 TUE – left work early and went to Morgan Ave. but there was a wind shadow. Went further west to the little park. Cannot find the name of the park. It is beside the marina and I believe beside Rue Churchill. Winds were coming down the pipe and I called Helmut. He is waiting out the rain cloud. I went out on the 8.5 and was planing like crazy. Had to come in and pull in some outhaul. Helmut arrived and saw conditions and rigged his 7-oh. By the time he got on the water, the wind died !! We got off the water and I met Helmut`s brother and nephew Brandon. Max showed up – same fellow we saw on Sunday in Philipsburg. Wind started picking up and I was out planing again. Helmut left and Max went out on his BIC Core 135 and bright sail – size ?? Wind was okay for about 30 minutes and then started getting shifty, changing directions, etc. Was hard to get back in. By 18h30 I was off the water – with difficulty – and off to have dinner with Oma – 50 years in Canada :-) Oh yeah – disgusting water entry at this site :-)

22SEPT2010 WED – Left work early and went to AAO. Winds were to be WSW, but were more WNW. Originally announced as 20 to 40 kph, butt my 8.5 sail would not stay on the ground. Rigged the 7.0, butt the 8.5 wouda bin better. Did some planing and the waves felt big. Used the small Select and it went fine !! The top of the AHD looks like it is due for patching .. Chatted with n amicable fellow from Milan, Italy. His wife is German and she is back there visiting. We have met this fellow on numerous occasions. I explained to him how the clew grommets work on the SW Retro and confirmed it with Bruno. The fellow tried it, but still preferred lower grommet. Started arrangements for a 2005 SB Carve 121 in Massachusetts.Later discovered that the lower grommet works best for "shorter" riders and the top grommet for "taller" riders !!!

25SEPT2010 SAT – I am on call. Winds were to be big early in the day. Helmut called and told me he would check out the beaches – Cartier, St-Louis and potentially end @ Captain Morgan’s. He called me back and said to go for Captain Morgan’s. We ended up going back to Cartier and rigging 8.5’s. Went from mid outhaul to tight outhaul and finally loose outhaul. Winds were 16 to 19 knots, but dropped around 14h00 and just kept going down. The wind was strong and the waves were big. The AHD was jumping chop and Eric with his RRD says his sticks to the water. He also has a Gemini !! ie 2 rider board – he must be the Eric from the APVM !! Also met a fellow with an AHD FF 130 that belongs to his son – goes up to 7.5 on it. Did about 3 beach starts when the wind was good. Feels like this place is one layer up in terms of sailing. It is much more open, the waves are big and lots of people to watch out for. Feels like the sail was fine, but the board was too wide. Probably a 7.5 on the SB Carve 121 would have been great :-) Oh yeah , tacks were tough due to waves …

29SEPT2010 WED – Was waiting for stuff @ work – so, I left @ 14h30. Winds were strong all morning. Was supposed to drop around 14h00. Could start to see the effects of that by 15h00 @ Captain Morgan’s. Put the TR-4 10-oh, but middle outhaul. When I went out, the boom was higher than usual, but left it there. When I was planing it felt almost too smooth :-) There were only about 3 or 4 sailboats out and one motorboat. It was NOT nearly as rough as at Pte-Claire last Saturday. Nice gentle planing and noticed I had issues tacking into the wind when starting with left hand forward. It seemed related to waves and lack of wind inshore. After about one hour came back in since winds were changing and not as steady. Was interesting how quiet everything felt after. It was as if it was noisy on the water with the board skimming over it :-) Did not fall in except hooked in on sail and was able to clamber back onto board quickly…

02OCT2010 SAT – up in the country visiting Noni and Ken. Brought the old dresser up into the chalet and moved some stuff about. Went out on the Dufour with the MS Pursuit 8.5. Reminded me of when I started windsurfing. Nice colours in the trees , flat water and never sure where wind was coming from. Saw one loon at a distance. Chainsaws seemed to be running all day…

07OCT2010 THURS – winds were NW and up n down like a yo-yo with BIG gusts and sometimes almost nothin $%^&*( Helmut left work @ noon and was there around 14h00. I went to AOO , but never got suited up :-(

moved the next comment here – cuz it rained like crazy. Water levels are up about 2 to 3 feet / 70 cm @ AAO and Milles Isles.

2010 -> Milles Isles River is way too low this year to w/s on – about 2-3 feet down !!

AAO need to walk way out

Captain Morgan is favourite place for this year !!

Considering going where it is further across ie longer runs

Also, AAO is good for WEST – did not realize that before!!

08OCT2010 Fri – had the day off and did some stuff with Lisa in the morning. Went off to Sally Ann’s and then back to Milles Isles cuz levels were up AND I did not want to miss all the action. Went with the 47 cm weed fin and the MS Pursuit 8.5. Winds were NOT great and I always tended towards the bridge %^&*() Made me wonder why I ever came here – oh yeah – the convenience :-) The fun part was: people honked, waved n yelled. One fellow stopped on the bridge causing another to honk like hell !!! Also got all kinds of “burrs” stuck on my wetsuit and boots…

09OCT2010 Sat – Now in the country for Thanksgiving. Nonni and Ken are still there and the Hungarians {Gary, Julie n gang} were there since early this morning. Since it is the country, I use ONLY the BIC Dufour Wing with the MS Pursuit 8.5. The winds were VERY gusty and seemed to change direction. I had a VERY difficult time with the sail – believe I found the issue on the next day … Had turkey today.

10OCT2010 =10/10/10 Sun – Still in the country and the morning stroll on the water was JUST magnificent. Even though there was more sun yesterday. In the afternoon winds picked up significantly. I noticed the harness lines were WAY too far forward. Moved the back line to around 72 cm and the front one about one hand width forward. Believe I was holding the sail based on the lines rather than balance yesterday. Believe I was going faster than I EVER have on that board. I was leaning forward a bit too much and got catapulted forward and did two(2) of the MOST spectacular falls I have ever had with that board. When I got off the water I noticed a break on the board – was it done by the trees that fell, Cadieux who is chopping wood or one of my spectacular falls? Regardless, it is minor with NO pieces off. Put things back in place and will cover it with SolarEZ.

15OCT2010 FRI – not much wind all week, butt on this day winds were extremely high – up to 50 knots. Some guy tried to go out from BBD / Baie des Brises – apparently there was a 911 call for this one, butt the fellow ended up getting a lift from where he got stranded …

16OCT2010 SAT – winds were to be NNW and about 20 to 40. Checked the APVM and links and found that Vaudreuils is good for NW N and NE. Went there and there were two(2) fellows setting up – one windsurfer and one kiter. Windsurfer went out with a 6.2 and semi-small board, but he is pretty capable and was planing about 50 % of the time. The kiter was out with a 14 sq m sail and the next kiter told me that fellow seemed overpowered and the 14 meter did come in and rig down to 11 sq meters!! I called Helmut and told him Vaudreuils was “good to go” and I was rigging 8.5. Suggested he call Nathalie and her son to come on down. Steve thought about going out, but he was smaller and Helmut ended up using the 7-oh we had rigged for Steven. I went back out with the 8.5 rigged tight. It was good in terms of speed , but felt like I was working. Helmut busted that batten completely and was having trouble getting in the straps. He did complete one really good jibe though. I am beachstarting now and can handle the 8.5 in overpowering conditions. If I wanted to relax a bit more and get out further, the 7-oh wouda been the call of the day. Another fellow from Martinique {nice European style accent} was out on an iSonic 133 with a 7-oh that looked like a Simmer. He was flying too …

21OCT2010 THURS – went to auventfou and picked up a helmet and mittens, My current mittens were too thick in the palms and too tight on the wrist. Went out to AAO and the winds were BIG. Went out with the 7.0 and did NOT feel overpowered. The issue was my skills. Had issues beach starting and forget water-starting. When winds are big like that MUST be at least be able to water-start, ideally in the straps and jibing or at he very least – fast tacking. I thoroughly enjoyed myself cuz I jumped, rode waves and went fast. Basically this session showed me I gotta get certain skills down before going in the bigger winds AND before getting the next board down !!!23OCT2010 SAT – Niko’s bday party here :-) Lisa gave me the okay to go out in the morning, butt only on Milles Isles. Winds were to be 10 to 15 knots. Went and rigged the 10-oh. It was the right sail for the day, butt it did NOT feel right. Felt like harness lines should go further back – 6 cm as per Guy Cribb’s calculations. Also forgot to put the tack strap :-( Gloves felt cold :-( Used the long fin and hit some stuff :-( People were honkin’ :-) Best part was the sun shimmer on the water … Also put some SolarEZ on the BIC today – got it free from auventfou. Gave them a free keel from the BIC Samba too – originally purchased for $40. Perhaps I shoulda used the longboard ? From now on until further notice, this is what I intend to do on the river locally…

Was reading about footstraps – there actually was a time that a quick release existed on Chinook foostraps. The idea died and one person purchased all the remaining footstraps. Finally read some literature that made some sense though. A heavyweight stated that he put his back foot back, but not all the way to the back strap – more like half way in-between. This way it did not sink nor rail upwind when he put his foot in the front strap. He rode the front strap until up to speed and then started to move the back foot back until eventually it too was in the strap. The other comment one reads over and over is to keep the straps loose. Not much is said about keeping them tight. I have to be able to slip out easily. Everyone does say though that IT IS A MUST !!!

27OCT2010 WED – unseasonable temperature of 20 degrees Celcius. I had to go – even though I was on call. Helmut could not be enticed, his stuff is away for 2010. Met a fellow who was leaving – he is 200 lbs and uses a 115 liter with a 7.5. He says this board can be uphauled, but sinks about 3 inches. He said he felt a larger sail was required for the day. Also met a young fellow with a BIC Core 133 and a 7.0 who said he was planing about 50 %. Rigged the 8.5 and the weed fin. Was fooled on the way out of the bay and actually fell twice cuz I hooked in too quickly. Planed occasionally and often had a smile on my face cuz NO gloves and NO hat were required. First time ever, the big mass of weeds stalled me suddenly and turned me upwind !! The iSonic 133 fellow showed up later and was also on an 8.5. He managed to pump on a plane and took off. I tried to keep up without pumping and it was impossible. Apparently there is some technique AND energy required to do this properly. Saw the biggest dead fish I ever saw – thought is was a tire !!!

28OCT2010 THURS – really big winds today. It was almost uncomfortable walking at lunch. Winds had gusts over 40 mph in the morning.

14NOV2010 SUN – has it really been over 2 weeks that I have NOT windsurfed? Last night I tried to fix my weed-fin at the base where it is chipped with SolarEZ. Temps were around 10 degrees with the occasional sun and winds were light from the East at around 20 kph. Went to Vaudreuils after getting crap from the wife :-( Unfortunately she does NOT realise my nervousness was judging WHEN there was gonna be wind and NOT the rushing out the door after the groceries. NO point in discussing that one :-( Obviously brought my 10-oh and 8.5 just in case. No-one was there and the water looked promising – or at least a maybe, but the sun was out and it was beautiful with lotsa birds in the water and on the Future Shop grass just before Vaudreuils. Was unable to plane and got hot with the helmet and the thick gloves. Brought them in and chatted with a kiter who was thinking of going out. I went back out with NO helmet and the slightly thinner newer gloves attached to the boom. On the way back to the beach was planing if I went with the waves and wind. Saw the kiter going out and he was cutting more upwind than I and heading towards the open water. I fell in due to the waves a couple of times (twice) and got cold. Put the hood and gloves on and was warm in NO time. Pushed the fin a bit too much – yesterday’s repair is gone and more to do :-(
Kiter was able to catch more wind further out, but forecasts show the wind dropped drastically when I left – like 10kph by 14h00 !!! Need to get that Marine stuff to fix my board AND fin. When I got off the water a local fellow named Marc chatted my ear off :-) He kited this morning in the little bay with 24 kph winds and is headed to Cuba …

Oh yeah, I moved the back harness line from 70 cm to 75 cm with the 10-oh. It felt better AND I was able to perform the suggested push with the front hand :-)

09DEC2010 – bought the Fanatic Bee 124 LTD for $300 from 2-rad. It is a little dirty, some dents and zipper busted on one back footstrap. Footstraps cost about $25 each. Also, 42 cm MFC fin needs work and missing the bolt to attach fins. Cleaned the board up and put some SolarEZ on a dent and the nose. Started sanding the fibreglass on the fin and Bruno will give me a fin screw…Also removed footstrap with broken zipper and put other one in the middle – for learning … Have the MarineTEX to repair the fins and the AHD…Winter Boardsailing has started
Did one X-country skiing on the Rosemere golf course – 9 out of 10
First test of board on ice n snow in the country – used the Gaastra 7-oh, but snow and lack of wind not great
Week after X-mas went out 2 days in a row with 2 sessions each day.
If wind is good, board went fine. Still a bit fast on the ice.
Did not try it with the 8.5 on the lake yet …
Am building a 2nd sled – Kaila gave me the snowboard and had the skis :-)

See file called “Winter Sled #2”

30JAN2011 – missing notes since “Winter Boardsailing has started”
so, let’s summarize …
the 2nd sled is finished
the board was moved forward and is almost the same as board #1 in placement
this was dunn cuz the board turned upwind too much
tests today indicated that the 30 degree angle is great for ice with light snow
it simply was NOT working in the snow
took board #1 and it had some issues on ice and snow, butt was MUCH better in the snow
Uwe from Laval stopped and told me about his winter equipment
He has a snowfer – for sale $400 – and stuff he built with four (4) skis
He says he also made a kit where he can adjust the angles !!!Winds were under 10 knots today and 8.5 was NOT over …
Were supposed to have winds around 15 mph !!!
04FEB2011 – went to Milles Isles, butt forgot my mast base  The snow was quite deep, but it looks like it would have worked anyway. Sank about 8 inches . Winds died anyway – so, did NOT return.

My notes seem mixed up – some here and some in board #2 file. Will continue here then… Also changed the base on board #2 from 30 degrees to 20 degrees. Made the “bridge” using the original templates. Somewhere in there I reduced the width by about 2 inches !! Since one bridge was already made, I simply continued. This is thus a wide stable board that goes well in snow. Starting to sound like an early planing light wind windsurf board  Tests in the street show that it will work fine in snow. The 30 degrees really dug into the snow and hit the asphalt whereas 20 degrees just slides on top.

12FEB2011 SAT – somewhat windy, butt last check on the River showed water under about a foot of snow = GROSS. Tried to go on road to the church on Monté Lesage. The new board even at 20 degrees cuts when it hits pavement. Was okay on light snow and did NOT bring the old board. Tried it in a foot and a half of snow, butt it was warm n sticky snow = YUCK. On top of it all, thought I lost cap of the bottom section of the mast. Upon reflection, thought it might be inside sail sleeve and IT WAS !! Put some plumber tape on it and it seemed fine. Later tried the 8.5 with the original winter boardsail in the streets. It seemed better, butt winds were lacking.
14FEB2011 MON – some winds from the north, so, I hadta go out n try it in the street again. Used the original winter boardsail again with the 8.5 rigged loose. It went WHEN there was wind. Had issues rolling up the sail AND had ta bring it into the house later to roll it up properly = DRAG.People were going in Vaudreuils kiting on the weekend. I hafta go check it out !!!

2011 windsurf setuplight winds -- BIC and AHD + 8.5 and 10-oh
medium winds -- AHD and Bee + 7-oh and 8.5
high winds -- Bee + 6-oh and 7-oh
Q) how to store all this stuff at home ??

MUST learn waterstart and ideally footstraps too

The following diagram was somewhere in this document b4 the file was corrupted, butt I do not remember where??

Had some journal entries here from MAY 2011 and lost em somehow on JUNE 02, 2011The stuff above came from a backup in mid-MAY $%^&*(Let's hope I have a blog backup more recent on my work computer - since I was on call last week !!NO such luck----------------------------------------will piece it back together and take more blog backups from now on%^&*()

Somewhere in here I pinched my thumb in the clamp of the HPL carbon boom. I had promised myself NOT to try n adjust this on the water, butt i never listen to my own suggestions #$%^& I punched a hole in the nail to relieve pressure, but this may not have been necessary...

FRI 27MAY2011 - went on the river near my house and fell in a number of times. I decided I needed to move the harness lines backbutt b4 i could do that , i fell in again. As i went to pull the sail up, i noticed it did NOT look right. It better NOT be broken %^&*()

screw

Well, it was not. The rivets had popped - pardon the pun, on the old mast extension that i use to have pulleys with the MS Pursuit 8.5. I brought it to auventfou and René was able to fix one rivet, but not the other. The washer would not hold on the underside ...He said he could hold the extension and try to fix it Saturday. Nah, i brought it home to try n fix it myself.

nut

Went to Renot Depot on Saturday and bought some screws 10-32 x 1/2 and anti-locking nuts - the ones with the plastic inside. The beauty of this is: it seems MORE permanent, i have spares AND the F2/BIC base still slides onto the extension...

base

I sometimes wonder if I am having just as much fun repairing stuff as i do windsurfing. I notice many blogsters are also doing neat stuff like changing fin bases, making boards and finding innovative ways to repair their equipment ...

MON 30MAY2011 on the local river after work on a VERY hot day with light winds. There was a lot of activity at the boat launch at Rosemere. Did NOT put a life jacket nor harness. Gave the session a full 9 out of 10 !!! The only issue was that i had to swim it in the last 20 feet. Other than that it was a perfect tension release !!! AND the fix on the base worked fine !!!

FRI 03JUNE2011 left work a little early - like around 13h30. Helmut did not come this time since he felt winds were light and he had come the day before. Started by trying the Fanatic BEE with no sail. It is very hard to climb aboard and the deck is abrasive. Need to waterstart to try it. Also, if the sail was attached, it acts as a counterbalance when climbing on the board. Will try this next. Put the 8.5 on the AHD and ripped. Actually tightened sail at one point. Some waves were a bit high. The water was also quite high. Practice water starts sucked %^&*()_ Was at AAO rigged from 14h30 to about 17h30.

Pinched my left foot between mast and board - ouch.

The funniest part of the day was some lady gave me shite for wearing a Marilyn Manson T-shirt. She was so upset that I had a hard time understanding what she was saying in French. Something about a nice lookin guy wearing a mean face on my shirt. So, adding fuel to the fire I said that yes, Marilyn Manson was a really mean man :-)

Supposed to pick up a used WindGlider tomorrow - one of those inflatable windsurfers. Hope to get the young lad of 7 years on it and i promised two(2) people that i would take them on the water this year. With the WG , it will be really easy to get them going !! Step 2 could be the BIC with the small sail - wonder if this sail would go on the BIC ?? supposed to be possible !!

Note to self: Nelson of 2-rad says footstrap distance apart should be as follows: inseam of pants divided by 2 plus one in inches. This means for me: 30 / 2 + 1 = 16 inches. On the Fanatic Bee I measured 14 inches currently. Other readings suggest the distance from elbow to end of middle finger - in that case it would be 18 inches for me. Fourteen inches feels too small, sixteen inches okay and eighteen inches GREAT - first i need to get IN the foot straps %^&*()

SAT 04JUN2011 purchased the WindGlider which seems to have all its parts in working order .. The sail is supposed to be a 3.5. It is a North Sail made in China. For the kid , whose chest is about 3 feet or 36 inches high, the sail is about one foot too tall. Needed to mount the boom from the bottom rather that the middle. In the pic have put the sail on a standard Chinook type base. Had to remove the cap and the mast retaining ring. This obviously means in terms of progression, one starts on the WG and then goes with the sail on the longboard and finally uses a better sail on the longboard ...

About Me

I am just an average joe windsurfer who tries to get as much time on water as possible and to learn about all the technicalities of wind, sails, masts, boards, fins and lately repairs :-(
Perhaps what sets me apart in Montreal is I also windsurf on ice and snow:-) Am still working on the ideal snow model ...
Started this blog as a windsurf journal and then just got carried away...